Approximate boundaries of the New England North West region within New South Wales

New England or New England North West is the name given to a generally undefined region about 60 kilometres (37 miles) inland, that includes the Northern Tablelands (or New England Tablelands) and the North West Slopes regions in the north of the state of New South Wales, Australia.[2]

The region has been occupied by Indigenous Australians for thousands of years, notably in the west by the Kamilaroi people. In the highlands, the original languages, which are now extinct, were Anaiwan (or Nganaywana) to the south of Guyra and Ngarrabal and Marabal to the north of Guyra.

The first European to explore the New England area was English explorer John Oxley, who crossed the southern part of the New England Range near the Apsley Falls before he discovered and named Port Macquarie in 1818. In 1827 Allan Cunningham travelled north along the western edge of the Range until he reached the Darling Downs in Queensland. In 1831 Thomas Mitchell reached Wallamoul Station near Tamworth and explored to the Namoi River then followed it to Narrabri. Moving on, Mitchell found a deep, broad river which was the Gwydir. In 1832, Mitchell cut across the plains to the Gwydir River near Moree. The team then spent several weeks charting the tributaries between the Gwydir and the Barwon Rivers.[3]

Hamilton Collins Sempill was the first settler in the New England area when he took up the 'Wolka' run in 1832, establishing slab huts where 'Langford' now stands close to Walcha. During the 1830s further squatters moved their sheep flocks onto the Northern Tablelands as they had been displaced by the Australian Agricultural Company, which dominated resources in the Hunter Valley.[3] When the area was opened up for settlement in the 1830s, this led to the gazetting of nine pastoral districts. These districts had a small police force and a Commissioner of Crown Lands.[4]

Australian red cedar (Toona ciliata) cutters moved into the headwaters of the Macleay River in the early 1830s to harvest the valuable trees. The ranges between Kempsey and Glen Innes yielded about 300,000 board feet (710 m3) in 1950.[5]

Work commenced in 1838 with the use of convicts to build a road, then known as Major's Line, across the Great Dividing Range to link the wool-growing settlement of Walcha with Port Macquarie. This road was later named the Oxley Highway.

On 22 May 1839 the New England District was gazetted thus: New England District: Bounded on the east by a line north by compass from the top of Werrikimber Mountain which is at the head of the Hastings River; on the south by a line west by compass from the top of Werrikimber Mountain to the Great Dividing Range; on the west by the western extreme of the Great Dividing Range so as to include the Tableland and on the north the boundary is indefinite.[6]

In 1840 there were 66 separate pastoral licences, in 1842 it rose to 98, 1845 – 116; and by 1848 there were 132. Only 10 new runs were registered between 1848 and 1855.[4] In 1843 the Darling Downs district was separated from the New England.[4]

This region ceased to be a statistical division after 1874, but the counties of Arrawatta, Clarke, Clive, Gough, Hardinge, Hawes, Sandon and Vernon approximated the region’s limits. In 1847 these counties, with the exception of Hawes and Vernon formed part of the "Unsettled District" of the colony.[4] By 1850 all major communication routes had been forged, with little government assistance.

During the 1860s the famous bushranger, Captain Thunderbolt, robbed properties, mail coaches and hotels throughout the region. Thunderbolt was shot dead in May 1870 by Constable Walker at Kentucky Creek, near Uralla.[7]

The population of the New England Region, including the slopes in 1957 was 143,788 and in 1971 there were 164,128 people, according to the census data.[3] In the 2006 census the New England region had a population of 180,000 which included the local government areas of Armidale Dumaresq, Inverell, Walcha, Glen Innes Severn, Gunnedah, Guyra, Gwydir, Liverpool Plains, Moree Plains, Narrabri, Tamworth Regional and Uralla.[8]

Gold was discovered in 1851 at Rocky River, approximately two kilometres west of Uralla and started a rush to the area. Then gold was found at Hanging Rock and nearby Swamp Creek in 1852.[9] In the early 1850s some alluvial gold was found at Mulla Creek and Rywung (now Weabonga) on Swamp Oak Creek. In 1852 the first licenses to prospect were taken out.In the late 19th century several gold and antimony mines were established at places such as Halls Peak and Hillgrove, as well as two ambitious hydro-electric schemes to power them, the remains of which can be seen today along the Styx River and at Gara Gorge. The first gold mining was recorded at Tia in 1866 and in 1873 a reef was discovered at McLeod’s Creek, near Walcha. The discovery of the Torrington Tin Lode in was made 1881 but the small prospectors soon lost control to overseas mining companies. Tin and arsenic were mined from the 1880s at the Ottery Mine, near Emmaville. Copper was discovered at Gulf Creek, near Barraba, in 1889 and the first mine was established there in 1892. At its peak, in 1901, the copper mine was one of the largest in the state. Asbestos was first mined at Woodsreef, also near Barraba, from 1919 to the 1980s.[3]

Mining had a major influence on the rise and fall of other towns and villages such as, Bingara, Bear Hill, Elsmore, Emmaville, Metz, Nundle, Stannifer, Tingha and Torrington.

The Mungindi railway line from Werris Creek to Gunnedah opened in 1879, Narrabri in 1884 and Moree in 1897, Mungindi in 1914. The line is currently truncated to Weemelah between Moree and Mungindi.[10] The line between Werris Creek and Moree is also known as the North-West line.[11] A branch line was opened from Moree to Inverell in 1901.[12] This line was closed in 1994. A branch line was opened between Camurra (11 km north of Moree) to North Star and Boggabilla in 1932 but it is now closed beyond North Star.[13] Another branch was opened from Narrabri to Burren Junction in 1903.

New England has no clearly defined boundaries, and the term has several possible definitions. These boundaries also vary according to the units responsible for services and include, county councils, local government areas, electorates and the Pastures Protection Boards (now the Livestock Health and Pest Authority) etc.[3] The New England region does not have a Bureau of Meteorology (Australia) forecast as such, but the whole of the Northern Tablelands and part of the North West Slopes and Plains forecasts cover this region.[17]

The narrowest and most common definition of New England consists of the Northern Tablelands highland area which forms part of the Great Dividing Range, from the Moonbi Range in the south to the border of Queensland in the north. This tableland region is about 320 kilometres (200 mi) long by approximately 130 kilometres (81 mi) wide. It includes substantial areas more than 900 metres (3,000 ft) above sea-level, with a distinctive cold climate and distinctive vegetation.

This highland region is often referred to as the New England Tableland, New England Plateau, or Northern Tablelands. There are widespread peaks over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and the highest point at Round Mountain is 1,585 metres (5,200 ft) above sea level. Other key peaks include Point Lookout at 1,564 metres (5,131 ft), Ben Lomond at 1,512 metres (4,961 ft), Mount Grundy at 1,463 metres (4,800 ft), Mount Hyland at 1,434 metres (4,705 ft), and Mount Duval at 1,393 metres (4,570 ft).

A broader definition of the New England Region covering 98,574 square kilometres (38,060 sq mi), includes areas beyond the highlands which can also be considered to be the North West Slopes region and the Liverpool Plains. This definition is frequently known as New England North West[19] or less commonly the Northern Region[20] or Northern Inland Region[21] and includes the western valleys of the Gwydir River and Namoi River and their tributaries, and the foothills and spur ranges which generally form the western side of the central Northern Tablelands. Towns and districts such as Moree, Narrabri, Gunnedah, Tamworth, and Quirindi, are included in the New England region according to this basis. Smaller towns include, Manilla, Barraba, Bingara, Boggabri, Mungindi, Wee Waa and Werris Creek.[3]

At its broadest definition, during the New England New State Movement the New England Region included the northern coastal lowlands of New South Wales, known as the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers region, and including cities such as Lismore and Grafton. Several proposals were made for a new Australian state of New England and this included the North Coast region in the boundaries. Apart from this usage, the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers region are not considered to be part of New England.

The hilltops of the Great Dividing Range are basalt from north of Uralla to Glen Innes, and the eastern slopes are the lighter "trap" soils. On the western slopes near Bendemeer, Bundarra, Kentucky and Tenterfield the country is granite, with extensive sandy loams.[24]

The New England lies in the temperate zone, and the climate is generally free from extremes of heat and cold. The greatest heat is usually experienced in the north-west around Narrabri and Mungindi. Winter frosts are common on the Northern Tablelands and winter snow is not unusual in this area.[3] The Northern Tablelands receives most of its rain between late summer and early autumn with an annual average rainfall of about 800 mm, with the eastern escarpment having falls of around 2,000 mm average.[2]

Bolivia Hill and the adjacent nature reserve are the only recorded locations of the endangered Bolivia Hill Boronia (Boronia boliviensis),[25] Bolivia Homoranthus (Homoranthus croftianthus),[26] Bolivia Stringybark (Eucalyptus boliviana), the shrub Bolivia Hill Pimelea (Pimelea venosa)[27] and the vulnerable Bolivia wattle (Acacia pycnostchya). The rare Hillgrove spotted gum (Eucalyptus michaeliana) can be found near Hillgrove and in parts of the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.

Common animals that may be encountered across the New England region include: kangaroos, echidnas, wallabies, possums and wombats. Common birds are: cockatoos, currawongs, magpies, crows, wild ducks, galahs, parrots, kookaburras, ravens, rosellas and emus (on the western slopes). Snakes, lizards, Jacky Dragons (Amphibolurus muricatus) and goannas may also be encountered.

The New England region has a great diversity of mineral deposits ranging from large coal deposits in the Werris Creek to Boggabri area to metallics and gemstones on the tablelands. Antimony, coal, gold, sapphires and tin have been the most important economic commodities mined in the New England region.

There are numerous other business activities across the region ranging from small enterprises to large multi-national corporations that are producing goods for domestic and international markets. Aviation training is provided by the Tamworth-based BAE Systems flight training college, the Australasian-Pacific Aeronautical College.[31]

Cattle and sheep are the predominant types of livestock produced in the New England and they have been produced since their importation during the earliest days of European settlement. The Northern Tablelands produce some of Australia's best fine wool and beef cattle. The western slopes are major areas for cotton and wheat. Other primary production activities include dairying, the production of grains, lamb, pork, fruit, potatoes, poultry, eggs, various mining activities, timber production, viticulture and aquaculture.

The New England region is traversed by five major highways and a concentrated network of minor roads. On the tablelands the New England Highway, which links Tamworth, Uralla, Armidale, Guyra, Glen Innes and Tenterfield is a major route linking New South Wales and Queensland. The Newell Highway is a major route linking Victoria and Queensland through Narrabri and Moree. Thunderbolts Way from Gloucester provides the shortest route from Sydney to the New England and continues through Walcha, Uralla and Bundarra to Inverell. The Oxley Highway, Gwydir Highway, the scenic Waterfall Way and Bruxner Highway traverse the New England region from west to east. On Western Slopes the Kamilaroi Highway runs in a north-western direction for 620 km, from Willow Tree passing through Quirindi, Gunnedah, Narrabri and Wee Waa until it reaches Bourke. Fossickers Way is a tourist route that runs from Nundle to Warialda in the north and then east to Inverell and Glen Innes passing through some rich gem areas.[32]

The major towns have air, coach and rail services that supplement the road network. The Main North railway line following the same route as the New England Highway to Wallangarra, Queensland was the first railway link between the states, however the coastal railway is now used and the New England line is disused north of Armidale.

On 25 August 2000 the New England North West Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service (WRHS) commenced operation after four years of fundraising and planning. The New England North West WRHS operates 24 hours a day and 7 days a week with an annual average of 130 missions.[34]

New England has been the home of Australia's most persistent attempt to form a new state within the Australian commonwealth. Many New England people have long resented being governed from Sydney. In the 1930s and again in the 1960s, the New England New State Movement campaigned for New England to be separated from New South Wales. The movement was closely allied with the Country Party, which could have expected to form the government of such a new state.

On 29 April 1967 a referendum in the region on the creation of a new state in northern NSW returned a 'no' vote of 54%,[36] although the forced inclusion of the City of Newcastle, not a part of New England, was the major contributing factor that led to the 'no' vote.